The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1887-12-29
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DAvNT'


sort Of please her; apples was skerce up
there. Seemed as though she growed sweet
n an prettier every day. Poll and Sally
was real clever, and master hands to work,
but there didn't none Of the lumber hands
ever ask them to fetch the dipper, you'd
better brieve. Sally had fire-red hair and
green eyes, and was rs freckled as q frog;
and Poll had q whopper jaw and q snub
nose; 80 they wasn't what you might call
real e%nticin', neither of EN-. But Pauliny-
great Gosh! she was. . hull team as fur 40
looks 60; and as clever as she was good
l00kin'.
''They say looks don't go fur, but I tell ye
they do; tisn't cabbages and p'taters that
folks build glass houses for, so as to have
'em all times O year-it's posies and roses
and sech. A good woman's q good thing,
but when she's g~ood-lookin' to boot she's
the best thing this side Of Jordan, now I
tell We.
swell, the summertime went along, and
I got to feelin' as though l must find out
whether Pauliny thought as much of mi as
i did Of her, before 1 put in to that lumber
job; and I was q th;nkin' how I should do it,
and kind Of despisin' myself for bein' scarf
at . little woman, yet havin' to own that I'd
rather face q ''painter'' with a jack-knife
than ask her fair and squar' how 1t was with
her, when l came stumblin' one day into the
barn, and there was Sam, face down in the
hay-bay.
"tSamr says I, what ais YET be you at
tacted with colic?' He was kind of sub
iicted to that.
"sNo!' growled Sam, jest like a bear.
"'Well, git up then, and let a Teller do
suthin' for ye, can't you9' says I. For I set
. lot by Sam, but he didn't know it. Our
folks amt the gabbin' kind.
"tShearjashub!' says he, sort of solum, for
gener'lly he called me Jash for short. Il
want to ask We a question:
"'Well,' says /, git up out o. that hay
m ask it, darn We! TIN be half hay-seed eff
you DON'T
$50 he got up, and I see his eyes was red.
"'Shearjashub,' says he agin, be you
a-courtin' Pauliny?'
"'No,' says l, short as pie-crust-
"'Because if you be- says he, settin'
down on q nail-keg, and speaking real DELHI
crate. because if you be, I'll put out for
Littletor, and go a-lumberin.'
".What for9' says /.
"'Becos you're the biggest, and you could
lick me all to slivers.'
Ihad to larf. I couldn't help 1t. Why, I
wouldn't no more hev laid a finger on Sam
than I'd cut my hand of. sLook-a-here,'
says /, well draw lots, and him that beats
shall hev the first ask So 1 drawed out
two straws out of the heap and broke 'em
Oh, and Sam got the largest one. Twas
quite spell before he burst come up to the
scratch, and 1 was ridin' on o rail, as you
may say, till he did, but about the end OF
November he asked her, and got the mittcn.
Poor Sam! he couldn't 60, nor he didn't
1000 b. -ko~~. l.,k - r>c~k o. ~~n 1891. 4
come out, though he was pretty sartin sure,
and so was I, for she was real pleasant to
me, and there wasn't nobody round but
S'rend Marvin, and she made as though she
hated him, for If he come into one door she'd
slip out to another, and she'd turn as red
rs if he spoke to her, but she'd come and set
down alongside of me any time, and chat
ter like a chipmunk. Well, I felt real easy,
and l hated to make Sem down-hearted, so
I kind of worried along till it come New
Year time, and I was out in the shed splitln'
Of her some kindlin's, and I heered some
body come into the kitchen door, and say:
"'I've fetched you a New Years present,
Mis- Slater, and I want n back "'Laudr
says mother, them pa'tridges be as plump
as apples. Pauliny, you hang 'em up in the
milk-roomw inder.'
sThe' was q big knot-hole in that wood
shed door and I peeped to see who twas
and sure enough twas Siren Marvin; and
as Pauliny come to pick up the birds he
ketched her by the hand, and says he:
Mis- Slater, I want you to give me this
New Years present o. yours, for mine.'
"'Why! whyr says mother, kinder fus-
trated.
"sWhat say, Paulinyq be you willin?' and
up went Pauliny's apern over her face and
Siren he flung his arms round her.
/ cut for the barn.
Sam SEE ]. She won't have me
nuther; she's goin' to hev Siren Marvin
"'Let 8 go q tumberin,' says Sam.
So we went"
But you married afterwardi" I asked
ayes, yes; out in the woods the's got to be
women folks about She: wasn't much to
look at, but her slapjacks and punkin pies
was good. That goes . great ways"
/ had to turn away to smile at this un-
divine philosophy, and when I had sobered
my face and looked round, Shearjashub
Slater had mounted to the top Of the Plym-
outh stage, and waved his hand to me in q
mute farewell. RosB TERRY COOKE.